Southeast and East Asia
The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF) promotes democracy, human rights, economic freedom, and curbing climate change. In Southeast and East Asia, we have offices in Bangkok, Hanoi, Jakarta, Manila, Seoul, Taipei, and Yangon. We also work in Malaysia. The FNF regional team works with the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats, the Working group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism, the Asia Centre, and the ASEAN Prosperity Initiative, which is part of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs. Should you have questions or suggestions about our work, please contact us. You can also meet our team here.
News
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AI in Elections in East and Southeast Asia
The Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats has published a new policy paper: “AI in Elections in East and Southeast Asia: Opportunities, challenges, and ways forward for democrats and liberals”.
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Regulatory Challenges for MSMEs in ASEAN
Malaysia´s Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF) have launched the “ASEAN Integration Report 2024”. The seventh edition of this annual report focuses on barriers that micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) face in cross-border trade in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
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Empowering Women in Politics in Southeast and East Asia “Women-Up Democracy” Conference
Read up on our "Women-Up Democracy" on October 28 at Chatrium Grand Bangkok! Together more than 150 leaders, activists, and students unite to share stories, foster solidarity, and drive change in politics.
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How Public Participation Can Improve AI Governance: vTaiwan’s Initiatives
The civic tech project vTaiwan has gained international attention for its design of effective public participation mechanisms, which has led to the facilitation of over 20 legislative reviews in Taiwan. Most notably, in 2019, the platform hosted an online deliberation leading to regulatory adjustments for the ride-hailing platform Uber in Taiwan. In 2023, vTaiwan was relaunched as a community-based project. Now, they use their proven participatory approach to tackle the challenge of inclusive AI governance.
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Business, Human Rights, and Unexpected Laughs in Gummersbach (and Cologne and Berlin)
From Sept 15-27, our IAF seminar on Business & Human Rights featured Ms. Umavathni Vathanaganthan from Malaysia, sharing regional insights. Read her full reflection here.
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Women-Up Democracy Speakers
Our Women-Up Democracy event on October 28th, 2024, will bring together inspiring speakers who are making a significant impact in the fields of gender equality and democratic leadership.
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FNF’s Global Innovation Hub is looking for new colleague - join us!
FNF’s Global Innovation Hub is looking for new colleague - join us!. We are looking for- Programme Officer Digital Transformation
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Women-Up Democracy
Join us on October 28 at the Chatrium Grand Bangkok for Women Up Democracy! Connect with female politicians and aspiring leaders from across Asia, share experiences, and explore solutions for political empowerment.
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Human Rights Defender: Pro-Democratic Activists
Announcing our new publication - Human Rights Defenders - featuring pro-democratic activists, including Chu Chen from Taiwan and Ray Wong from Hong Kong and their fight for freedom and democracy.
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Business and Human Rights in Southeast and East Asia #2: A Guidekit to Operationalise Human Rights Due Diligence on Forced Labour.
We are excited to announce the release of our latest publication: Business and Human Rights in Southeast and East Asia #2: A Guidekit to Operationalise Human Rights Due Diligence on Forced Labour with AmerBon. This comprehensive guide is an invaluable resource for understanding and implementing effective human rights due diligence practices.
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Pride Month Special Panelist Discussions
In Myanmar, LGBTQI+ individuals endure severe discrimination, including insults from teachers, ostracism from their families, and public ridicule. The civil war has exacerbated these challenges, further diminishing safe spaces. The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom Myanmar (FNF) has run the 'Open Mic' program for 3 years. The platform provided LGBTQI+ individuals and others to share their experiences and receive psychological support.
We invite you to join our Pride Month campaign by sharing our social media stories of ‘Open Mic.’ Each post will feature a captivating still image and a link to our inspiring video on YouTube. -
Top of the Table – The 100 Key Figures in the China Scene from the Foundations
Anna Marti, Head of FNF Taiwan and the Global Innovation Hub, has been featured in Table.Media, the largest independent start-up for quality journalism in Germany. Table.Media's professional briefings serve as an essential information resource for key figures in politics, business, administration, associations, science, education, NGOs, and society.
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Democracy and AI - How technological progress can strengthen our democracy
The discourse surrounding AI is often dominated by extreme positions: either threat scenarios are exaggerated or the benefits are overemphasized. It is time to look for a new narrative that is neither uncritically positive nor overly pessimistic. In the report ‘Democracy and AI - how technological progress can strengthen democracy’, 30 global examples of the successful use of AI to strengthen democracy are analyzed and serve as a basis for assessing the potential.
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Edmund Bon Tai Soon Reappointed to AICHR: Championing Human Rights and Business Compliance in Southeast Asia
We are delighted to extend our congratulations to Mr. Edmund Bon Tai Soon, Head of Chamber (Civil) of AmberBon, Advocates, on his appointment by the Government of Malaysia as the representative to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) for the 2024-2026 term.
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CALD@30 2023 Annual Report
30 Years of Impact: See how CALD has championed freedom, democracy, and human rights. Read their 2023 Annual Report now.
